This invention relates generally to mops and more specifically to mops of the roller type in which spaced apart roller members are connected to a frame and a deformable floor cleaning member may be drawn through the rollers to squeeze dirt and water out of the floor cleaning member. Mops and particularly roller sponge mops are well known and have achieved a wide level of consumer acceptance. However, known roller sponge mops require some substantial force to draw the cleaning element between the rollers. Some persons, particularly small females and elderly persons, have difficulty performing this action due to limited hand and arm strength. Examples of such roller mops are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,381,579, 5,665,248, and Des. Pat. No. 334,263. Additionally, roller mops are available which feature replaceable cleaning elements; but such replacements tend to be cumbersome. An example of such a mop is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,727.
Past attempts to connect abrasive scrubber attachments to roller sponge mops have been by securing such attachments to the rollers themselves, as seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,491,998 and 4,654,920. These arrangements are awkward and the sponge portion of the mop often interferes with the scrubber. The use of the scrubbers on these mops is even more difficult when the sponge portion of the mop must be held in a withdrawn position in order to use the scrubber.
Therefore, while roller sponge mops have achieved relatively wide commercial acceptance, there are aspects to the operation of roller mops which require improvement of the roller mop as a floor cleaning tool.